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M88 Gauss Rifle
"Vanguards not only have to be able to take a punch - to be as effective as they are, they have to '''give' a pretty solid punch too."'' -Marshal of the Vanguard Corps Hugh Roves The 'M88 Magnetic Assault Weapon '''is a battle rifle in use by the Imperial Military. Stemming from prototype weapons FrenCo presented to the U.S. Military, the weapon was perfected and introduced into Vanguard service in 2110. The M88 is an advanced design, revolutionary in the way it operates. Capable of firing in single-shot or three-round bursts and utilizing an extremely small, extremely accurate 2mm Electron-Charged round, the large weapon's standard magazine can hold 125 rounds, giving troops unmatched staying power in firefights. However, despite it's small payload, the 2mm EC round is just as, if not more devastating than a higher-caliber bullet or directed energy charge, as the extreme velocity in which the round is discharged from the weapon's coils allows the specially-shaped projectile to penetrate all types of power armor. After the penetration inevitably slows the round, the electronic round detonates, triggering a small explosion. This is often immensely potent to targets, blowing entire chunks of armor away while causing debilitating trauma from the shrapnel and heat of the detonation. The M88 is also extremely (bordering on excessively) effective on unarmored targets, with one well-placed shot capable of dismemberment. However, despite its overall effectiveness, the rifle is extremely heavy and bulky, practically requiring a strength-enhancing exoskeleton or powered-armor suit to operate for extended periods. It is for this reason that it is almost exclusively used by the power-armored Vanguard Marines, where it remains as the standard-issue rifle in most units. Notable users and uses * Due to the fact that, more often than not, Vanguards are the single most common military unit seen in action in many RPs, the M88 itself appears in almost every Frencoverse RP to date, with the exception of PTFS in Chaos, A Spanner in the Works, Access Violation (understandably, as the New Frenco Empire was not involved in the former three save for the occasional reference), and A Blood Debt (as Frenkish involvement was limited to a small group of spies). However, it has yet to be used by any named character. ** It is seen briefly in To Struggle In The Way of Allah, notably when the Vanguards storm Mecca. ** It is seen extensively throughout Red Planet, as the Imperial Vanguard Corps serves as the colony's security force. ** It is commonly seen in The Fourteenth Chthonian, as the Dragoons are the primary antagonists. ** Likewise for Operation Fobos. Memorably, the RP opens with Harrigan ordering his M88-armed Dragoons to execute a group of jihadist prisoners - leading to a predictably ''messy end result due to the sheer power of the weapon. ** It will appear in Flight of the Polunochnaya in the hands of various Vanguards and Dragoons operating out of the [[FIS Isaac Asimov|FIS Isaac Asimov]]. ** Predictably, it will see action on the battlefields of World War IV. ** Likewise for the Utannic invasion of Sol.